About Eat Like Me

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Eat Like Me blog! I'm Emma- a Nutrition major & kind of a health nut! I'm really into eating healthy & nourishing my body. It amazes me how much food can really affect your life and change the way you feel. I've been into healthy eating since I was a teen and I wanted to share my interest with all of you! I'll admit that I have days when I do not make the best food choices but my goal is to just get back on track and stay healthy as often as I can. Of course, eating healthy doesn't mean I don't get to enjoy my food. There are lots of flavorful, healthy foods & recipes, and even desserts! On this blog I will share with you what I eat, along with recipes & pictures. You could use my blog as a guide to healthy eating, or just for recipes and ideas!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Chicken fajita (dinner 9.30.10)

For a snack this afternoon I had a toasted whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter on one half & jelly on the other. I used Teddie's All Natural Peanut butter with Flaxseed & Polaner All Fruit Grape Jelly. I like this jelly because there is no added sugar, it's made from fruit & fruit juice concentrate only. I also like this peanut butter because the flaxseed adds a nutritional boost without altering the flavor. Flaxseed naturally has a nutty flavor so it blends well with peanut butter.

For dinner tonight I made myself a chicken fajita. I had never made one from scratch before, so I was surprised at how good it turned out. I expected it to be a hard meal to make but it was in fact really quick & easy, not to mention healthy. All I did was throw the ingredients in a pan, saute & serve.
  1. To make it, I cut up a medium chicken breast (I used a Perdue Perfect Portion All Natural Chicken Breast) and put in a non stick skillet along with 1/2 a tbsp of olive oil, about 2/3 cup of mixed onions, red, yellow & green bell peppers (I used Trader Joe's frozen fire roasted bell peppers & onions- see picture), 1/8 tsp of chili powder, 1/8 tsp ground cumin, about 2 wedges worth of lime juice and about 1/2 tsp of garlic salt. 
  2. I then sauteed all the ingredients on high heat for about 5-7 minutes until the chicken was cooked through. 
  3. Then I put it on a large multi-grain tortilla, wrapped it up & enjoyed! Yum!
I'm really glad I found a new dish I like that is easy enough to throw together on a busy school night. You'll definitely be seeing chicken fajitas for dinner again. To make this dish for more people, simply double or triple the above ingredients as needed. The amount I used could make 1 large fajita or 2 small.

Grilled cheese (lunch 9.30.10)

So a week ago I was browsing online & decided to order myself a small George Foreman Grill for the kitchen. I thought it'd make cooking a lot easier & I could try grilling lots of new things. It's small enough to keep on the counter but big enough to cook what I need. Well guess what? It finally came today! Perfect timing since I'm home today and was able to try it out. I was planning on having a sandwich for lunch, so I decided to make myself a grilled cheese. I used two slices of Mathew's All Natural Whole Wheat Bread, 3 slices of reduced fat American cheese, and smeared a small dab of butter on each slice of bread.
I plopped the sandwich on the grill, closed the top, and in less than 5 minutes I had myself a nice warm, gooey grilled cheese sandwich. And let me tell you, it tasted excellent! Best grilled cheese sandwich I've had in a while. I'll definately be having another one soon because it's not only an excuse to use my new "toy" but also have a delicious sandwich. I also cut up some strawberries & pineapple on the side for some fruit. Now I'm going to go finish up my work and then figure out what I can come up with to grill tonight for dinner!

Kashi & Kashi again (breakfast 9.30.10)

Good morning! Today is yet another rainy day, but luckily I don't have to go out in it! I stayed home from work today because I was up most of the night not feeling too well. I decided to take a personal day and catch up on some things and sleep in a little. For breakfast this morning I had the same cereal mixture as yesterday, half Kashi Go Lean & half Kashi Go Lean Crunch with a banana. I also had a cup of coffee with skim milk this morning (not pictured). I like to enjoy a cup of coffee when I'm home because I don't drink it very often. I wish I had decaf though because now I'm jittery from the caffine! Anyway I'm currently having my mid-morning snack which is a Kashi Go Lean Chocolate Peanutbutter Chewy Bar.
I love these bars, but don't enjoy them often because they contain a lot of calories and sugar. Recently they made a smaller version of these bars for less calories so I picked a few up since I hadn't had one in a while. Instead of the original 290 calories this one has 200 calories, 10g of protein and 5g of fiber. It still has alot of sugar but since it taste's like a candy bar I'd expect it to. It is however all natural & made with whole grains so it's not a bad treat. Have a great day everyone & try not to get stuck in the rain!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Burger & a salad (dinner 9.29.10)

I've been home since one and somehow I've managed to get none of my work done yet!? Where has the time gone?
For a snack this afternoon I had a Stonyfield Organic Strawberry Fat Free Yogurt with some Unsweetened Dark Sweet Dried Cherries mixed in. They were kind of big so I cut them in half to be about the size of raisins.
Dinner tonight was another one of Trader Joe's Mahi Mahi Burgers on a whole wheat sandwich thin, with a big salad. The salad was lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, red onion, and strawberries. I used some olive oil & salt for flavor because I didn't have any good dressing to use. I've always been really picky with dressing and can never seem to find one that I like. Last weekend I bought Annie's Organic Ceaser dressing to try, and when I tasted a little on my finger it seemed really sour. I didn't have a lot of time so I didn't want to pour it all over my salad, not like it, and then have to make a entirely new one. I also would've liked to have added walnuts but I used them all up when I made zucchini bread
and didn't have any in the house. As for the burger, it was just as good as the first time I had it, and the fact that it's frozen still seems to amaze me. I wish I had found these earlier because they're absolutely delicious! Anyhow, I enjoyed my meal but now I have to go get my work done for tomorrow. I'm going to have a handful of Blue Diamond Vanilla Bean Roasted Almonds for dessert. I'll explain more about these at another time. Have a great night everyone!

Kashi Go Lean Crunch (breakfast 9.29.10)

I went to bed early last night and got a great night's sleep. I think my cold is finally starting to fade so hopefully it'll be completely gone by tomorrow. To start my day off today I had a bowl of cereal and a banana. The cereal was a mixture of Kashi Go Lean & Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereals. I love Kashi Go Lean Crunch, but since it's a bit high in both calories and sugar, I like to pair it up with regular Kashi Cereal to balance it out for my morning meal. It's a granola-type cereal, crunchy & sweet, but made from the Kashi seven-whole grain blend & full of protein and fiber. Both cereals provide excellent taste along with great nutrition and are hearty to keep you full longer. I've been eating both of these cereals for years, and they would definitely be two of my favorites, together or alone. For a snack this morning I had a Kashi Go Lean Cinnamon Coffee Cake Bar and a reduced fat string cheese to hold me over since lunch was going to be late. I got home around 1 and had my lunch then. I was quite hungry since I'm so used to eating lunch much earlier, so I just threw together a quick hummus and chicken wrap. I used one of Rudi's Organic Multi-grain Wraps with Cedar's Garden Vegetable Hummus, Perdue Short Cuts Grilled Chicken Breast, and some lettuce. On the side I cut up some pineapple for a fruit. I'm feeling overwhelmed because I have a lot to get done tonight so I better stop wasting time and get to it!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Product Worth Mentioning- Gardein (dinner 9.27.10)

My dinner tonight really hit the spot! For some reason I was craving a nice, warm sweet potato, so that's exactly what I had! I made a baked sweet potato with a little butter, a Gardein Tuscan Breast, and some steamed asparagus. If you've never heard of Gardein products, let me tell you a little more about them. According to their website: Gardein is a line of delicious plant-based foods slow cooked to have the authentic taste and texture of premium lean meat. It’s made from soy, wheat and pea proteins, vegetables and ancient grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet and kamut®). Gardein™ is easy to digest and free of cholesterol, trans and saturated fats. The majority of Gardein™ foods are a good source of fiber and low fat too. Gardein™ is complete protein – containing all the essential amino acids. Gardein™ is also animal and dairy free.
To sum it up, Gardein products, made for vegetarians & vegans, are meat substitutes made from vegetable & grain proteins. As a former vegan, I've tried many different kinds of "fake meats." Some brands taste a lot like meat, while others taste nothing like it. Since I've done an adequate amount of taste testing, I feel obliged to say that Gardein is the best fake meat I've ever tried. It has not only the taste, but also the texture of real meat! What really separates Gardein from other meat "wannabes" is the ingredients. Many times I'll pick up a product from another "fake meat" brand, only to put it back down after reading, or should i say, trying to read, an ingredient list the length of a novel. Half of which I can't even pronounce. Gardein products, on the other hand, have plant-based, recognizable ingredients that are healthy and free of preservatives or artificial colors. Even though I'm not a vegan anymore, I still enjoy Gardein faux meats from time to time. They're healthy & taste great, so why give them up? Besides, too much
meat isn't good for you and its always better to switch things up! Gardein makes a lot of different products ranging from crispy chicken tenders & buffalo wings to bbq pulled shreds & chicken scappolini. With such a variety your bound to find something you'll like! If you've never tried Gardein products, I advise you give them a chance. Even if you've never liked "fake meat" before, you'll probably like this.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Amy's Brown Rice & Vegetables (dinner 9.27.10)

As I'm not feeling all that well, I didn't feel like cooking tonight. Luckily I picked up some healthy frozen meals this weekend, so I was able to pop one in the microwave for dinner. My meal of choice tonight was Amy's Organic Brown Rice & Vegetables Bowl. This was one of the first products I ever tried of Amy's a while back, and is still a favorite of mine. I don't really know how to explain the taste of this dish because the flavor is so unique that their isn't anything I could compare it to. It's made of a lovely blend of tender short-grain brown rice, gently flavored tofu, and vegetables in a "delectable" sesame tahini sauce.
It contains plenty of vegetables including broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, celery, spinach and caramelized onions. And with a quick glance at the ingredient list, you'll notice an impressive repetition of the word "Organic" in front of nearly every single ingredient in the dish. It's also low in calories, but high in nutrition, so once again, Amy's Kitchen saves the day with a quick, but healthy delicious meal.
For a small dessert after dinner, I had a Vitalicious Sugar Free Velvety Chocolate Vitatop. I popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it came out just the way I like it, soft & warm with melted, gooey chocolate chips. It tasted like a freshly baked chocolate cake, but for only 90 calories!
Since I don't have a lot of work to do tonight, I'm hoping I can relax and get to bed early. I could really use a good night's sleep to help fight off this cold.

Clif Kid's Bars (breakfast & lunch 9.27.10)


Another rainy, humid day =( I didn't want to get up this morning, this weather makes me just want to sleep! Not to mention, I'm catching a cold and can barely breathe out of my nose. For breakfast I had a bowl of cereal and a banana. It was the usual, Kashi Go Lean with almond milk. Lunch was later than usual, only because I knew I'd be getting home a little early today, so I decided not to pack a lunch. I'm sure I'll be eating enough packed sandwiches the rest of the week, so I was glad to have something else today. To hold me over until I got home, I threw one of the individual packages of Trader Joe's Go Raw Trail Mix, and a Clif Kid's Bar in my bag to snack on. Clif Kid's Bars are small whole grain energy bars, similar to granola bars. Contrary to other Clif Bars, these bars are made of whole oats, are low
 fat, and contain no artificial ingredients. Original Clif Bars pack lots of calories, sugar and not much nutritional value. These bars however, have organic rolled oats listed as the first ingredient, and contain other good ingredients like oat bran, and flax seed. Also, since these bars are targeted at growing kids, they contain 12 essential vitamins & minerals that we need everyday. They do contain added sugar so they shouldn't be an everyday item, but if you're looking for a quick & healthy on-the-go bar without tons of calories, these will do the trick.
I got home around 1:30 and then had a real lunch. I heated up the leftover potatoes & mushrooms from Saturday night's dinner (which were even better the second time around), and a Stonyfield Organic Fat-Free French Vanilla Yogurt with some Bear Naked Fit Vanilla Almond Crunch Granola mixed in. I don't have a lot of work to do today so I'm going to take advantage of that and just relax. Curling up in a blanket and watching a movie sounds perfect just about now.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Pasta with Spinach, Broccoli & White Beans (dinner 9.26.10)

Dinner tonight was one of my classic favorites. Whole wheat pasta with spinach, broccoli and cannellini beans. I've made this dish for years and I never get sick of it. It's pretty easy & kind of self explanatory but I'll explain how I make it anyway. You can use as much of each ingredient as you'd like depending on how many you're cooking for.

Pasta with Spinach, Broccoli & White Beans 
Ingredients:
  • Whole wheat pasta
  • Cannellini beans
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Garlic (lots of it)
  • Olive oil
  • Dash of salt


Directions:
  1. Steam the broccoli & spinach and then set aside.
  2. Then heat a nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat and add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add garlic (lots of it), stirring until golden.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil & cook the pasta according to box.
  4. Next add the broccoli & spinach to skillet with garlic; stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add white beans, and cook until the beans are heated through, about 3 minutes.
  6. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain & add to skillet along with a little salt & mix. Cook for a couple minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  7. Serve & Enjoy!

Convenient soup (lunch 9.26.10)

Since it's kind of a cloudy, gloomy day, I was in the mood for a nice warm bowl of soup for lunch. Not to mention that it's quick and I have things to do. I have tons of cans of soup in the pantry for days like today. They're great because they never go bad.  I ate a small bowl (a little more than 1/2 the can) of Amy's Organic Lentil Soup with a slice of the homemade Zucchini Bread that I baked yesterday, and an apple. I've got to admit, apples are one of those foods that definitely taste better organic. Sometimes organic foods don't taste any different, but organic apples have so much more flavor! My lunch hit the spot and really filled me up! I finished all my cleaning, but now I have school work to get done for tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take too long so I can at least have some time to myself today.


For a snack this afternoon I had a small handful of Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds (they're ok but I'm not really a fan) and a Luna Blueberry Bliss Bar. This is one of my favorite flavors, and also one of the hardest for me to find. Luna bars are a good go-to bar for women because they are very rich in micro nutrients. According to their website, "Luna bars were the first bar just for women, with the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy. Wholesome nourishment and delicious indulgence, they are all-natural, 70% organic and just plain yummy!" It's like a multivitamin supplement in a great tasting bar!

Kashi U Cereal (breakfast 9.26.10)

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of cereal again. I wanted to eat quickly because I was going for an early walk on the Rockefeller trails with my parents. I had a bowl of Kashi U Cereal with another very ripe banana and a cup of coffee with skim milk (not pictured). Being that I always eat the same cereals over and over, I decided I would buy a new cereal each week, along with my favorite staple cereals, to add more variety as well as try new products. This week the cereal I picked up was Kashi U with walnuts & black currants. By all means this cereal sounds great, it supposedly promotes cardio nourishment with omega 3's and B vitamins, boosts immunity with vitamins A, C, and E, strengthens your body with calcium and vitamin D, and even has lots of fiber, prebiotics and whole grains for a healthy digestive system. But in the taste department, I think it was lacking. I've tried a lot of the Kashi Cereals and I've always really enjoyed them. This was the first kind that I wasn't too fond of. It would've been good but the black currants are just too sour, and every time I got one on my spoon it overtook the flavor of the cereal and then lingered in my mouth.
I'm sure if I avoided the currants it wouldn't have been bad, but when I buy a box of cereal I don't plan on wasting time picking out ingredients. I guess this week I'll be sticking to my usual cereals and try again next week for a new box. Anyhow, our walk this morning went great. The weather was perfect for walking and it was very relaxing. But, now I'm back home with tons of things to do so I better get started. Have a great day!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Chicken nuggets & potatoes (dinner 9.25.10)

Even though it's Saturday night and I wouldn't normally cook, I was really in the mood to. Not only did I cook dinner, I made a Zucchini Bread to enjoy for breakfast tomorrow morning! For dinner I made my own chicken nuggets with a side of Alexia's Roasted Potatoes & Mushrooms, and steamed zucchini. The meal came out great and I even got the timing perfect so nothing burnt or got cold! I made the chicken nuggets by cutting a small chicken breast into bite size pieces, dipping them in egg white, and then coating them in whole wheat panko breadcrumbs. I put them on a greased baking sheet and baked them until they were crispy. The potatoes were something new I found at the grocery store today. It was roasted red potatoes, baby portabello mushrooms, whole green beans, and onions in a thyme-infused oil blend with olive oil. It was a quick & easy side that you just empty into a skillet, saute, and serve. Not to mention, all natural & healthy! And to top it all off, I don't even have a sink full of dishes! I washed everything as I went along and now the sink is empty (besides my plate, ofcourse), so I can relax and enjoy my Saturday night!

Vegetable Pot Pie Sandwich (lunch 9.25.10)

For lunch today I had an Amy's Kitchen Organic Vegetable Pot Pie Pocket Sandwich with some cut up peach slices. Amy's Kitchen is one of my favorite brands because they have such a variety of unique, healthy, organic foods. Although I've had Amy's Pocket Sandwiches before, I had never tried this flavor. I have however tried their Vegetable Pot Pie, which is absolutely delicious and a lot healthier than classic Pot Pies. So when I saw the Vegetable Pot Pie Pocket Sandwich in the store, I figured it'd be similar to the Vegetable Pot Pie and wanted to try it. And, just as I expected, it was! It was very delicious and I'll definitely be buying it again. If you're not familiar with Amy's Products I recommend you give them a try.

For a snack this afternoon, I had a Stonyfield Organic Superfruit flavored Fat Free Yogurt with a small box of organic raisins mixed in, and a Sugar Free Velvety Chocolate Vitatop. Normally I don't buy sugar free products, because usually that means there are artificial sweeteners added to replace the sugar. But, in this case there are no artificial sweeteners, just Maltitol (a sugar alcohol) and Rebiana (Stevia extract).

Organic Maple Syrup (breakfast 9.25.10)

I woke up in a panic this morning because I couldn't find my phone. I searched the entire house before I finally found it all the way under my bed. It must have fallen while I was sleeping? Anyhow, after that I couldn't fall back asleep so I've been up since 6 on a Saturday! I can tell already I am going to need a nap later. For breakfast I had two whole wheat Nature's Path Flax Plus Waffles (the same company that makes my cereal) with some organic maple syrup and a banana. I use 100% Organic Maple Syrup, this way I am sure of what I'm getting. These days a lot of the maple syrup products you find at the store have added sugars and fillers, which is completely unnecessary. What is the point in adding bad sugar (high fructose corn syrup), to perfectly good sugar? I also believe organic maple syrup has a much richer flavor, and is better for you. Even though it is sugar, maple syrup is not that bad for you because it's a nature-made sugar and contains trace minerals (As long as it's pure maple syrup). So you can enjoy it from time to time without feeling guilty! I also had a Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Granola Bar for a mid-morning snack in the car today while I was running some errands.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Tomato, Basil & Red Pepper Barley Salad (Dinner 9.23.10)

Since school started, I've been completely forgetting about my garden! Today I noticed I had A LOT of basil & quite a few tomatoes ready to be picked. I decided to make a tomato, basil and red pepper barley salad to use up some of the veggies. I was going to just make it tomato & basil, but I had a red pepper in the fridge that was going to go bad if I didn't use it, so I added that in too. It was really quick & easy to make. I'll definitely experiment with more barley salad recipes in the future since I just love the taste of barley. If you're a fan of basil, this recipe is for you! If not, skip this one and hang around for my next barley recipe! I only made 1 serving for myself and used it as a side dish to my dinner. You could double the recipe and have the salad as your meal (would be an easy lunch to bring to work), or have it as a side like I did. With the salad, I had a Morning Star tomato & basil pizza veggie burger (seemed appropriate) and steamed asparagus.
Tomato, Basil & Red Pepper Barley Salad

Serves: 1 (double or triple as needed to serve more)
Ingredients: 
  • 1/4 cup (dry) Pearled Barley
  • 1/2 small tomato, diced
  • 3 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
  • about 8 small fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp salt and a dash pepper
Directions:
  1. Cook Barley according to directions.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the tomato, pepper & basil.
  3. When the barley is finished cooking, drain any excess water and add to chopped ingredients.
  4. Then add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well.
  5. Cover & refrigerate until chilled.
  6. Then serve!
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Serving Size: 1 recipe
Calories: 195, Total Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 278mg, Carbohydrates: 35g, Dietary Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 3g, Protein: 5g

I tried a pear! (Lunch 9.23.10)

Today for lunch I brought a turkey and hummus sandwich with a pear. I never liked pears when I was younger, and because of that I never really gave them a chance as an adult. But, yesterday at the store the pears were on sale and looked really ripe. So I picked some up and was excited to try it again. It didn't taste anything like I had remembered. To me it tasted kind of like an apple, just a little softer and thicker. It wasn't bad though, and I actually enjoyed it. I'll be buying more in the future especially since it's an easy fruit to bring with me to work. For a snack this afternoon I had a Stonyfield Organic Blueberry Yogurt and a Banana Nut Vitatop.

Individual trail mix (Breakfast 9.23.10)

Good morning everyone! Did anyone else have HUGE thunderstorms last night? I could've sworn the world was ending! At least it's all cleared up and today is supposed to be a beautiful, hot day! This morning for breakfast I had a bowl of cereal again. I usually eat cereal during the week because it's quick, easy & filling before work. I'll try and experiment with breakfast this weekend for something new. I had a mixture of Nature's Path Flax Plus & Smart Bran cereals, along with a banana. The bananas are beginning to brown and are very sweet, just how I like it! I also packed some trail mix for my mid-morning snack. I picked up individually packaged trail mix when I was at Trader Joe's so they would be easy to throw in my bag. This kind is a mixture of almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and raisins. Have a great day!
(I only had one of these)